Explore some of the most beautiful ancient coins ever made, from the Syracuse dekadrachms of Kimon and Euainetos to the Pantikapaion stater, Akragas dekadrac...

Learn how to buy ancient coins legally in the U.S., including seller due diligence, provenance, import restrictions, records to keep, and red flags to watch ...

What is a sela? In standard Rabbinic reckoning, one sela equals four zuz or twenty-four ma’ah. The term should not be treated as a universal synonym for the ...

The Jewish War shekel was a high-purity silver coin struck during the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (AD 66–70). Bearing Paleo-Hebrew inscriptions commonly...

Aes grave was Rome’s heavy cast bronze coinage of the third century BC, bridging the gap between earlier bronze by weight and the later struck coin system. L...

What is a tetarteron? The gold tetarteron was a slightly lighter Byzantine nomisma introduced in the late tenth century, traditionally associated with Nikeph...

What is a miliaresion? The miliaresion was a Byzantine silver coin introduced under Leo III and Constantine V around AD 720. It did not restore silver after ...

What is a zuz? The zuz is a Jewish silver monetary unit best known from the Mishnah and Talmud, not the name of one uniquely inscribed coin. In standard Rabb...

What is a tremissis? The tremissis was a Late Roman gold denomination worth one-third of a solidus, introduced in the fourth century and widely continued by ...

What is a miliarense? The miliarense was a large high-fineness silver denomination of the Late Roman Empire, introduced under Constantine I. Learn the heavy ...

Nummus or follis? Collectors use both names for Diocletian's large silvered bronze reform coin, but the ancient denomination name is uncertain. This terminol...

What is an argenteus? The argenteus was Diocletian's high-fineness Roman silver coin introduced around AD 294–295. Struck to a theoretical standard of about ...

What is a siliqua? Siliqua is the conventional modern name for an important Late Roman silver denomination introduced under Constantine I. Learn its changing...

John Quincy Adams unquestionably owned and valued a major family collection of coins and medals, but the famous ancient coins later sold under the Adams name...

What should you expect when buying an ancient coin? Clear identification, honest grading, fair pricing, authenticity protection, and help understanding the h...

What is an ancient coin hoard? Learn why groups of coins were deposited, how archaeologists date hoards using the newest coin and archaeological context, wha...

Learn how to decode Late Roman coin mintmarks and officina marks step by step: where to find the exergue, how abbreviations such as SMKA work, how workshop l...

Ancient coin terminology explained for collectors: learn obverse, reverse, flan, die axis, fourrée, patina, provenance, RIC, RPC, SNG, grading abbreviations,...

Build an ancient coin library without buying everything at once. These are Dean's recommended beginner and specialist books for Roman, Greek, Biblical, Byzan...

Are ancient coins expensive, usually fake, illegal to own, or too fragile to handle? This beginner-friendly guide separates fact from fiction across 11 commo...

How should you handle ancient coins safely? Use clean, dry hands, hold the coin by its edges, work over a soft surface, avoid rubbing or casual cleaning, and...

How do you read an ancient coin description? Start with the issuer and date, then identify the metal and denomination, measurements, mint, obverse and revers...

What is die matching in ancient coins? Numismatists compare repeated engraving details to determine whether coins were struck from the same obverse or revers...

How do you identify an ancient coin? Attribution combines the portrait, surviving legends, reverse type, weight, diameter, metal, mintmarks, and reference wo...